He’s standing there, on the top of the world. The clouds crown his shoulders, his glory shines bold. Sparking like a flame, while the nation chants his name.

The eyes seek the pride, of staring at him. The cheerful throats exploded, burning the lips rim. The trees, the breeze, the rocks, the blocks, the streets, the suites, women and men from infants to ancients, all were there to sing, the name of the king!

Then the dark wings of night, spread and squeezed the light. The king rested his eyes, waiting the sun to rise. Tomorrow? Will be the same. More praise, and blaze, and fame. What the poor soul forgot, when euphoria wine clot, the brilliance turns to blot.

The moon slowly dived, and a new day arrived. The same previous gathering, was taking place again. But he can sense a change. The joy turned to pain, the tone sounded strange. He steps out to balcony, the screams turns baloney. He is the jerk, he is the freak. A dagger that lurk, an evil geek. He is a dumb, he is a slump. He is naïve, he has to leave. A hopeless case, a crisis to face.

One heart beat, was long enough to delete, his entire feat. After being the Ace, now he is a disgrace.

Isn’t it strange?

How gods become devils at a blink of an eye. Then get dragged out, through the backdoor, no matter how they try.

That’s the story of Eto’o, Laporta, Txiki, or even Pep. It depends on the crowd you join and the hymns you chant.

There is a case to discuss, No doubt about it. Eto’o and Barcelona, his agent and the board, what’s next to predict or to expect. All that worth debating about. Yet, It’s the approach, not the perspective, that makes all this issue a case of disgrace.

Talking about the approach first, how would any Barcelona fan hate Eto’o? Insult him, underestimate his achievements with and for Barcelona. How is it possible to doubt the quality of a player who contributed in winning more Champions league titles for the club than the club had ever won? How is it possible to understand calling one of the team’s greats as mercenary? What is the message that we are sending for any player we are targeting to join this club? What is the image, the culture, and the ethical platform that we are promoting about this club that we truly believe it is more than a club?

Let me pass an early note now for what I will discuss later. I have supported and will support the idea of making the change, and having someone else to lead the front line. I have my reasons. But for the past two weeks I had to drag myself to read the wave of essays and opinions written about the guy, and this man started to wonder if I was dreaming about the night of May 27, 2009 or it’s something the entire world witnessed. I am not pointing toward the fans debates, but more the articles written by some journalists in Spain. The least to say is that it’s unacceptable.

We have a Belletti shoe at the club museum for the goal he scored at the last Champions league victory. The Brazilian was hailed when he represented Chelsea against Barcelona this season at the Camp Nou. That was a great sign of gratitude. Yet, no offense, Belletti, but its not even fair to compare Belletti's contribution in the club success, to that of Eto’o. So, Can we -at least- respect the guy? Can we, while saying whatever we feel it’s the right thing for Barcelona- at least-do some effort to pick the right words? This disgraceful free fall must stop.

Then, what about the board of directors’ quality? I can understand that sometimes the public get fooled once, but twice in less than a year is too much for my taste. One year ago we heard the same noisy voices that Laporta and co. lost it. They are flops. They have no quality. They must leave. A new board is more than needed. Luckily (it was pure luck, not common sense) that the destructive camp aiming to ruin Laporta era failed. That’s how we won the treble. Again, That’s how we won the treble. How is it possible to hide in a bush waiting for any tiny chance to punch the chin of the best board of directors we had in the club's modern history? Not only for the achievements and titles the team won, but most importantly for saving the club from being a Valencia mess. For the youth who do not know, Barcelona situation was worse than the current Valencia situation when Laporta and his board made their move. For those who were following that period, it’s always the right time to remember. Some of that first board's pioneers left the ship afterwards, true. But it’s not a reason to give them any credit. When things turned bad some ran for their lives, others faced the tsunamis and guided the club from one glory to another. The ones we have now are the ones to hail. Period.

I refuse to worship anyone just because he achieved greatness. Whether that person was Eto’o, Txiki, Laporta, Pep, you name it. But I demand that Barcelona community to be aware of the value of the people we are throwing on the table. Not only because this community has a responsibility toward the clubs present and future but also for its responsibility of recording the current era fairly in the history book of this club.

Mistakes happen. Eto’o may do it, the board of directors, the coach, or the fans. But it’s important to point out the mistakes – if they exist- without ruining everything we are proud of. This generation of Barcelona fans is luckier than they may think. Ten years ago, it was a very painful experience to be a Barcelona fan. Now it’s a carnival. Always appreciate the men who contributed in this, even while pointing out their mistakes, if they exist. So let’s pack the insults in a dark room, avoid the heat of the moment debates so we talk with some sense.

Many emotional statements were thrown on the table by the player’s agent, Barcelona board, and the club fans.

For the fans, it is an emotional situation. Some fans worship Eto’o as the one and only. Without him Barcelona relegates. He loves the club and the club betrayed him. He has the right to be angry. The board just lost it! They made a huge mistake and now they are squeezed in the corner, fair enough! And what’s more to say about Barcelona board of directors? Racists!

Some other fans prefer to have other players in place. There is no way to promote a new name without damaging Eto’o image, right? He lacks quality and class. Barcelona made him and now the evil man is refusing to move to another club so Barcelona earns money to buy someone else. He just wants to ruin Barcelona! Want to go for free next season, Mercenary!

That’s the fans island. For Eto’o there is nothing emotional about it, neither for the club. It is business, pure business. He is seeking his own interest as a player, as any player. Knocking his 29th year’s door, he is aware that his following contract is the most important one in his career, and rightfully he is working for what suits him most. The board of directors is seeking their own interest for being responsible of the club by doing what they believe it’s the best for the future of the team.

If he will leave, he will not leave because he is angry (emotions). It will only happen if he finds a better contract that suits him more, somewhere else. Last season the Coach and the board boldly informed him that he is not wanted; he didn’t get angry, nor he left. There were some interested clubs, his contract demands were too high to meet, so he stayed. This season, no one announced that he is unwanted. Instead all the options were (and are) opened. So if he didn’t get angry back then, he won’t now.

Barcelona for him is a team he likes. But the team he loves is Mallorca. The moment he finds a better team to join, his heart's mood will switch. The same as I will not believe if Henry claims that he loves Barcelona, and that’s why he plays there. I am not even sure if Messi's first love is Barcelona or Newell’s Old Boys. Though, no one can doubt his commitment toward Barcelona. There is nothing insulting in that. It doesn’t damage the player value and contribution toward the club.

Next summer there is an election at Barcelona. The current board's popularity between the fans will decide the destiny of the following election. Eto’o agent is simply pressing that bottom, using the fans against the board to put some pressure. Dirty, but Fair game.

The Barcelona Board in return, holds nothing personal against Eto’o. In fact, Eto’o was always labelled a Laporta man, while Ronaldinho was the Sandro Rosell signing. Till this moment, Laporta has only made positive statements about Eto’o, as a player and as a person. At the same time, if they renew Eto’o deal it will not be because they like him (emotions), But because he ended up being the best option to take. Being a team legend or a key player guarantees you no contract, nor does it assure your survival with the team. Ronaldinho? You stay as long as you are the best alternative for the club. And that’s the right question to ask, is Eto’o the best forward for Barcelona? It’s an emotionless case-study to analyse.

Eto’o and Barcelona paths, where they concurred and where they clashed:

When Laporta era settled in place, there was a need to sign a new striker. The former cards (Kluivert and Saviola), though being popular to an extent, failed to convince the new regime. The board signed that guy from Mallorca, and the adventure began.

After a short slow start, Eto’o started to prove his worth. He dissolved in the team dynamic and became a must for the team machine to keep on going. That hungry talented group succeeded to create a golden era in the clubs history.

After the Champions league victory in Paris, the club was heading toward the following season with lot of hopes.

Eto’o's contract was secure back then, with three years to expire. The season turned to become a flop, the title was lost in the last moment.

The board of directors decided to stick to the old guns that brought success for the team. Eto’o had no intention to leave as well. At least he didn’t mention it. The following season started, and it was worse than the former. The dressing room collapsed. The team performance turned to be the shadow of the glorious days. And the season ended in the worst catastrophic way possible.

Pep Guardiola became the new coach. And he was clear about Eto’o, Ronaldinho, and Deco situation. He wanted them out. Deco became a clear liability, and so was Ronaldinho. Regarding Eto’o, there were a mix of tactical needs and personality concerns toward the player. Yet, selling Eto’o and buying a new striker had to go in parallel. That was the basic difficulty. After a year where Eto’o showed his ugliest face both on the pitch and outside, no team was willing to take the risk of spending lot of money on him. Neither to buy him, nor to offer him the contract he demanded. Barcelona were not willing to decrease the player price enough to encourage the other teams to make offers, specially when the transfer targets to substitute him became more and more expensive.

With no team willing to bid for him fairly, and when the hopes to sign a different striker started to fade, there was no other option for the team and the player but to stick together. Yet, it was impossible to start a renewal negotiation last summer. The board can’t make an attempt to renew a player contract if he wasn’t originally needed by the Coach. The Coach still had doubts about the player. And the player was not settling enough yet to accept an extension, Regardless of all the parties intentions back then.

The season kicked off, Impressively, Generating magic and charm week in week out. If we want to suppose that Barcelona wanted to renew Eto’o contract, that was the worst time to make the attempt. The player, as the whole team, was extremely motivated, focussed and in the mood. The last thing recommended is to interrupt his workflow by contracts and conditions that may end either way. Eto’o himself repeated again and again that he does not want to talk about renewal till the season ends. So there was no way to talk about it till the summer.

Here we are, summer 2009. Eto’o has one more year in his contract. He didn’t buy out the contract, so the first (and worst) threat vanished. If he did so, then we can talk about catastrophic condition. Imagine the team with no striker and ten millions in hand earned through Eto’o contract cancellation. The other teams will abuse our desperate need for a striker like never before, and we have no choice but to buy. He didn’t do it for a reason. It opposes his own interest. And it was for the best of the club as well.

Eto’o has all his options open now. The best scenario for him is actually to stay with the club till next summer, then go for free. He will get a decent amount of money to sign (for another club) and will earn a decent contract. It’s also for the best of the other teams to wait one more year. The accounting is simple:

At the moment any team interested in Eto’o need to pay an average of 30 M to Barcelona, and at least 8.5 M annually for Eto’o as a salary for, say five years.

The whole Eto’o deal will cost the team 72.5 M for five years.Eto’o will earn 42.5 M for the following five years. He will be 33 years by then.

If the deal didn’t take place now, next summer any team will be willing to offer Eto’o 10 M to sign plus 10 M annual salary contract for the following four years.

This deal will cost the buying team 50 M during the following four years, saving 22.5 M by waiting one season. A season where Eto’o will get an international call for one and a half month anyways.

Eto’o will earn 50 M in four years plus the money he will earn at Barcelona playing with them one more season. All in all he will earn in the following five years 15 M more if he stayed with Barcelona for one more season than if he leaves right now.

That’s why, he is not in a hurry. He will only leave this season if he got a very attractive offer, both financially and as a sport project. If I will be in his place I will think the same, you?

Eto'o betrays Barcelona if he decided to stay next season before going for free. Wrong.

There is a contract. It says that Eto'o will play with Barcelona until the end of next season. To change the contract conditions both parties need to agree on that. It is as simple as that. Eto'o was even able to buy out his contract only by informing the club two weeks before the transfer period takes place. Even that wouldn't be considered a betray. That's the system and everyone is aware of it. He has the right to stay. It's more appropriate to say that Barcelona are betraying him by trying to offload him before the agreed date (next summer) than to say Eto'o is playing it bad. Eto'o is only committed to his contract conditions, without any further obligations.

Barcelona board, so stupid dealing with Eto’o case till it went that Far. Wrong.

First, as mentioned above, we reached this stage as a result of what happened during the previous two years. The board had to do more regarding some other issues surrounding the club in the past two years but they hesitated. The Eto’o mess is more a side effect of that. At the moment, the board will not sell Eto’o till they insure a secure transfer to fill his place. If we sell Eto’o fast, we will be in a weak negotiating position while shopping for a new striker, we can’t afford not buying. Inter and Valencia know that as well. That’s why they are demanding 35 M. No team will pay that amount of money for a player with an expiring contract. When we buy a new striker, Barcelona will drop a price gradually. The right price for Eto’o is the price that makes the transfer cost for the buyer sounds slightly higher than waiting till next season to get him.

But why are we going to offload a quality striker like Eto’o in the first place?

March 18, 2009, when Eto’o contract renewal was as certain as a done deal, while Henry future was in doubt, I wrote This Article Explaining why things may not be as certain as it may look. I recommend reading the reasons why I think Barcelona board hesitates to renew Eto’o's contract.

Eto’o is the dynamic type of forwards. He count mostly on his stamina, pace and physical strength. His finishing and positioning are good, but not first class. He scored lot of goals no doubt, but there is a reason why he did so, even though he is not the most lethal finisher. Lets compare him to the clinical type of Strikers (Klinsmann, Inzaghi, etc…) without considering the clinical as better, because definitely Eto’o is a better striker, at least compared to Inzaghi.

Yet, Inzaghi may vanish for the whole game. His contribution with his teammates building up offense may sound negligible, defensively he does not exist. Yet if he gets three scoring opportunities he will score two goals. Eto’o in the other hand is more a team contributor. His continuous runs and the way he links with his teammates generates him six scoring opportunities and he may score a hat rick. So in terms of finishing quality the clinical striker is better, but in terms of performance efficiency Eto’o is the leader.

Now that’s another prove that offloading Eto’o is stupid, right? Wrong. Because we need to install the most two crucial factors in this analysis, age and motivation. Finishing, positioning and decision making improves with age. In fact the clinical strikers hit their peak performance when they are between 30 and 33 years old. It’s not the same for dynamic strikers, when they approach their thirties, their offense dynamics start to fade gradually. Without his continuous runs, Eto’o loses a major slice of his quality. He can definitely keep being a quality striker for next season, but renewing his contract for four or five more years means that you will count on him till he run the down hill of his thirties.

Motivation wise, a very general question is appropriate in this analysis: How many strikers were able to keep their peak performance with their teams for ten years? For a player like Eto’o, Motivation and offense dynamics (runs and continuous pressure) are interrelated. When he is motivated he runs, when he feel fit he gets more motivated to push himself to the edge by applying mean, continuous pressure on the opponent. If his fitness level drops, his body will start giving warning calls and will have a huge mental impact on his motivation and over all quality as a striker. When he gets less motivated, his offense dynamics will automatically decline.

One of the reasons that motivated Eto’o to perform brilliantly last season was actually proving a point after last season chaos. Now the question is: What will motivate a 30 year old Eto’o with 2 CL or more in his first pocket, and 3 Ligas or more in his second pocket and some pichichi to push himself to offer more? Specially being settled by a lifetime contract with his team. Though he is a driven person by nature, but that’s not enough. This is why a new striker who needs to win the CL at least may prove a smart idea. If a new striker set an objective for himself to break Eto’o's scoring record with Barcelona, that will be more than enough to keep him motivated for at least four seasons.

Here we are definitely not recommending a pure clinical striker. That will not be a good option for Barcelona. But I used the Clinical striker argument to point out Eto’o's strength, and weaknesses.

Get me a new 22 years old Eto’o and forget about any other transfer target. The only concern will be then will be parked buses. But there is always a way to crush the bus without a tall striker. Eto’o's life cycle with Barcelona is heading to its end, better ends it at its peak than waiting till everything collapses then we try to fix. With another team he will have a new challenge to motivate him. He will do great to an extend that I hope we don’t meet him in CL.

Besides, Eto’o can’t finance any bit of his salary demand. He does not sell shirts. It may sound like a small detail, but it all counts when you make a decision.

There is a risk of course that a new striker may not raise to the expectations. That’s an ever existing risk. It was there when the team offloaded Kluivert and bought Eto’o. There were no guarantees. The risk of offloading Ronaldinho was huge as well. The guy kept being a scoring machine even during his worst season with Barcelona. He was a money generator as well. We took the risk, and no one can complain about the output now. You can’t demand perfectly secure decisions in management; risks are a part of the game. You take a risk, you may improve or fail. You don’t take risks, you will fail for sure.

Eto’o case is a crisis that may lead to catastrophic results. Wrong.

Having an Eto’o in his last year contract next season may bring on the table a better Eto’o like performance than a performance of an extended contract Eto’o. I believe a motivated Eto’o is always better than the settled one. Motivation is important for any player/person. But with Eto’o its something extra. When this guy is motivated, he is a monster!Playing with an expiring contract will give him an added reason to prove himself. For the next employer, whom he will discuss with at the end of the season. But most importantly, he will be extra determined to prove that Barcelona was wrong (even stupid) not to renew his contract. Can you imagine what kind of Eto’o we will have then?

I am saying that just to point out that I am not over concerned by Eto’o's case. If he stays with expiring contract, he will perform next season. If he leaves, I don’t think the team will collapse because the board will have to buy another quality striker with pluses and minuses compared to Eto’o. If he extends his contract, it means both parties (club and Eto’o) turned the old page, there will be other challenges but we discuss it then, if it happens.

On the economic fold, I don’t think we will be losing a lot as well. With the current market inflation any player will cost 15 M more than his fair price. Next summer we will not have a similar craziness unless if Man City secure a spot for the CL. Even then I doubt they will automatically generate the image to sign big names. But it’s all unlikely.

So, if we failed to sell Eto’o for 25 M (Barcelona are demanding 35 M), we will simply lose him for free next summer and buy a new striker for almost a fair price. All in all, it will cost 10 M more than getting that new striker now and selling Eto’o straight forward. Now evaluating the two options of either buying a new striker next summer for 10 M more or making a panic desperate buy at the moment and offloading Eto’o makes the risk of both options too close to consider one of them as brilliance and the other as catastrophic. Really.

I believe the third option of extending Eto’o contract so he turns to become the long term option for Barcelona till he is over 32, with the type of strikers he is, is the more complicated option in its plus and minus than the first two alternatives.

That’s why, I understand continuous discussions about this matter, but I don’t see the catastrophic results both sides are panicking over, if he leaves, or stays.

Finally

As a person who doesn’t take any press speeches seriously, I think no one really knows how it went indoors. This man can only put himself in every party's shoes and try to predict. Laporta and co. joined Pep and co. to discuss this matter. Even if some of them are naïve (and I doubt that), it’s unlikely that they are all stupid. So, the output of their discussion was definitely based on reasonable bases. Agree on it or disagree, that’s a personal opinion; do not turn it to a permanent judgement.

Barcelona is not just a football club, but the club of total football. Without ignoring the historical contribution of nations from the Danube landscapes and the Hungarian heathers, to the Coffee houses of Vienna till the birth of the methodology in Netherland and Ukraine, at the moment there is one and only one team where you can expect a living lecture about total football week in week out, written in the blau and grana colours, and seeking passion and perfection . That’s why I demand changing the club name from Barcelona FC, to Barcelona TFC.

Playing with this football style is easy to say. It is one of the most difficult football styles to structure tactically, as it almost releases all static positioning for the sake of increasing the performance dynamics. That more or less was labelled as organising disorder.

In this article, I will focus more on offense dynamics of the team for next season. It will be an endless analysis if we dare to try covering all the aspects and elements. So this will be more as a sample to inspire and tempt every reader’s creativity to do more predictions and draw their own concepts.

Preface:

When a team plans a strategy, they split it on stages. I usually classify team strategy on four categories:

The transition stages are the most underrated but the most important stages. That’s where most of the time the brilliant ideas in theory collapse during execution. While its important to plan the offense flow and decide who does what, and while its also vital to specify the positioning and roles of your players to close spaces and mark key players while performing the defensive status. The transition from one stage to another is the deciding factor whether the plan is only theoretical or applicable. Because the transition stage is usually a variable mix of both defensive and offensive stages, with the doses changing in a well synchronized way while moving from one status to another. It also calculates accurately the time and effort needed to finalise the transition. The less it takes to make the transition, the more efficient and applicable the overall plan turns to be. That’s why, while planning offense, defence has to be in mind in an attempt to make the transition planning easier. And while deciding the best defence to apply, offense has to be in mind to make sure the team can bounce back to cause damage the moment you earn back the ball.

I will narrow my argument here and squeeze it to fit the offense status of the team strategy. Hopefully in another articles we tackle defence and transition stages. How do we react when we lose the ball while being in action offense wise? This is a very important question that needs to be considered. But first we start while having the ball, and making attempts to score while the opponents are completely focused on preventing us from netting goals, more than being ambitious to score against us. This may prove to be the story of the following season as well. What should we expect while stepping onto the field?

Defence general review

There are two methods of defending: Marking territories (Zone defence), and Man Marking.

In Zone defence, every player is responsible of a specific slice on the field, and he marks the player that patrol within his territory, it’s like a net, you pass through, you get trapped and get inactivated by an opponent.

Man marking means hiring a player to ride on a specific player’s shoulders, being sticky, an irritating joy spoiler.

There is no “right way” or “wrong way” in principle. Though personally I don’t like Man marking because you hand the control of one of your player’s movement to the opponent team (as the marker moves depending on the marked player movement) There is some scratching of ego in that situation, beside a loss in command. But in general, the two methods are interrelated. So there is no “either this or that” obligation.

In zonal defence you may end up applying an embedded man marking. Freezing any moment during the game, offers you an image of the defending team marking (or at least monitoring) the opponent key players almost one-on-one. At another moment, the defensive team structure will be identical, yet the one-on-one chart differs based on the opponent players repositioning. The main weakness of this system is that even though you can complicate the opponent’s offense flow, you will not be able to mark their key players out of the game, at least mentally. While marking tightly may irritate the opponent player, and damage his playing appetite, zone defence offers that player a chance to drop deep (away from the Zone) for a moment, exchange some clean passes, breathe, gain confidence before diving back into the operation area and trying to crack the restricted zone.

In man marking, it is never the kind of “Full court press” as we see it in basketball –If I understand the basketball terminology well. You will never have ten players marking ten opponent players one-on-one all over the field. The man marking is applied to mark out the key player(s) of the opponent. The rest of the defensive team players must arrange their lines in a way or another, basically forming a zone defence shield. The main weakness of this method is that it may work against a team that depends on one key player who can make the difference. Against a multi talented team (like Barcelona), you just can’t apply it. It will end up being like holding water in your palms, while it slips between your fingers. Dedicating many players of your team to mark tightly the opponent players create a positioning mess. Your own half will look like this for the opponent’s offense to drive safely into your net.

Barcelona needs to be ready for any defensive strategy. Last season we witnessed a notable upgrading that made the group dynamic less predictable and more flexible to overcome the challenges of breaking down defensive locks. The main change we witnessed was at the forwards department. Henry’s role became more as a second striker cutting in from the left rather than being a winger hugging the line as in his first year with the club. Messi’s role was modified, where he is no more a right wing, but closer to a “10” while Alves was actually our right midfielder. Eto’o’s movement dropping deep out-of-box and opening on the flanks created spaces to take advantage of. But there were still some issues that we need to resolve, mainly in the midfield.

Mark your marker out of the game.

The opponents will most probably create a mix of Zone defence and Man marking. Some of our players will be marked tightly while the opponent team structures a zone defence using the rest of their players, though risking their offense efficiency. Against a man-marking situation, the worst thing your players can do is to hold on positions. If the opponent marks Xavi tightly for instance and Xavi keeps on roaming near the box arc (The “D”), then he is obviously serving the opponent a favour. His marker will become a man-marker while dealing with him but at the same time a Zone-player planted on the edge of his own area and closing more space, as long as Xavi is roaming there. Against Bus-Parked defences that is exactly the spot where you need to pull players “out of” rather than “get them into”. Or else, you are offering the opponent the advantages of applying the Man marking where they freeze your key player, and at the same time help them to overcome the Man marking defect by not pulling the marker out of zone to create positioning chaos, but keeping him involved in his team strategy to shut down spaces in front of their keeper.

First, try to get rid of him, dribble him, earn him a yellow card creating a suspension threat, take him on the weak side, tease him and have fun torturing his lack of quality to prove he can stop you. But if all that didn’t work, and if he was admittedly a quality dude, who knows how to get glued, then glue him back! Take him from the neck and pull him out of position, even if that means paying Valdes a visit, with that guy walking beside you with a dumb smile.

If Xavi pulls his marker deep towards Yaya’s territory, Messi and Iniesta will have more space and one man less to worry about while orchestrating offense. If Yaya is free and jobless, then he has to move forward to the edge of the box, switching positions with Xavi. The one thing Yaya has an edge over Xavi is that he is uncontainable. His physical dominance coupled with his technique make him a hard player to mark. On the edge of the box, and being aware of his dribbling skills, dangerous runs to the box and long shots, the opponents will go crazy to contain him; he will attract them in numbers like a magnet, which will give more freedom for his teammates to cause damage.

The principle must be taken so seriously that even if the opponent marks Yaya as a DM, Yaya must pull his marker somewhere out of service, Pique must step in to do the holding midfielder role while the other two central backs (Puyol and Abidal) sandwich the opponent’s lone striker. We can not afford losing the holding midfielder involvement in the possession game we play. His role is underrated but crucial. He links defence with offense, and he creates an escape station for offense to rest the ball and reposition, if the opponent’s pressure on the players upfront created the threat of losing the ball. Besides, moving Yaya forward whenever possible is always welcomed. In principle, the holding midfielders’ role is usually to create a cement wall in front of the defence line. Or as Rinus Michels used to call it: “a Vacuum cleaner”. Yet, in a team like Barcelona that try to break down locked defence on a weekly basis, and sometimes twice a week. You may try the hammers of Xavi, Iniesta and Messi first to create holes. But you must not exclude the Bulldozer option.

The players need to continuously activate the marking-destruction wheel. It only happens by switching positions again and again. Offense in Football is two simple facts: 1) Create spaces. 2) Attack spaces created or presently existing. Our players’ versatility is an asset to benefit from. Receiving the ball in a static situation leaves you with an opponent marker staring on your face. Movement will always give you few moments of freedom while your original marker is following your trace. It’s a well known golden principle: You are faster without the ball than you are when you have it. So it’s better to move then receive rather than receive then move.

Barcelona possession and offense style is briefly described as: “Pass…move…pass…Move”, while actually it’s more efficient to consider it as: “1) Move, 2) Receive, 3) Pass, 1) Move, 2) Receive, 3) Pass…” Turning the game from being offense Vs defence to a hopeless attempt to chase and catch. The opponent will be more focused on chasing you than chasing the ball dance from one player to another.

What will help the team more to become uncontainable is the ability to create a play-making-Chain instead of counting on a single playmaker to run the show. In offense status, Alves, Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Ibrahimovic and Even Yaya (plus Maxwell when he plays) have the quality to act as playmakers when they have the ball in an offence status. Our playmaker is the player who has the ball, which guarantees the offense flow continuity regardless of the opponent marking-targets.

Tactical Versatility

Usually, it’s not recommended to change the team tactical structure as long as it is clicking. But Barcelona is an exception. Barcelona players’ positions and roles not only vary from one game to another, but also within the same game. So they are used to changing positions. Besides, being the team to beat makes your opponent analyse your game thoroughly in an attempt to stop you. The more surprises you have to pull out of your hat the less predictable you will be, and the less containable as well.

Tactical versatility will also help you to overcome the absence of any key player without compromising the quality of the selection. Instead of looking for a substitute to fill a key player’s absence by benchmarking the two players’ attributes, reshape the tactics to perfectly fit the new player’s attributes so that he can contribute with the rest of the selection in producing the same performance quality that matches the general standard.

Even playing one of these two unfamiliar tactics (Sample 1) - (Sample 2), for example, shows that we can walk through 80% of the season games without not only the African players who will serve their nations next January, but even if we also missed Messi, Iniesta, or Xavi (two of them is enough for the midfield) or even Ibra or Henry (Messi can play there). That’s without considering the young players who proved their worth during the preseason , beside any new player that may join, where even though we already spent more than publicly expected , we still need a midfielder. There are less “weird” tactical structures we can apply and it serves that mission as well.

Noting that I am not predicting what will happen, but more recognizing the potentials we have, to generate creative Ideas and tactics that other clubs may not have the luxury even to consider. Lot of things discussed last summer happened, including the three Central backs structure, moving Messi to act as a modern 10 after buying Alves, using iniesta on the left flank instead of buying expensive untested player, and the need to have a utility player like Keita in the midfield. Other points didn’t happen, like using two holding midfielders in some games where it is needed, and using Yaya in a more advanced position – though recently it seems Pep is started to notice this option may work. Beside, Pep exceeded my expectations when he modified Henry role from a pure wing hugging the line as last season to a second striker roaming on the left and cutting in all the time, creating a lethal offense troika, with Messi and Eto'o.

I leave you with this sample below. It only presents one slice of the options cake taking last season’s most selected players, with only Ibrahimovic present instead of departed Eto’o and only showing “some” of the picks and tricks linking the left flank with the centre. The same approach is expected to take place on the right involving Alves-Messi-Ibrahimovic instead of Henry-Iniesta-Ibrahimovic. While having Yaya or Keita beside Xavi in the centre with Iniesta on the left can deliver different dimensions as well.

The whole offense line was average at its best. This game demonstrates the reason why I tend to evaluate a department (Defense-midfield-offense) more than singling a player for critic or praise. The player’s performance is an output of his contribution in the team system. It’s not a matter of one shot here or one dribble there. It’s not if a forward scores or a defender tackles. Its how you get involved in the team play to upgrade the quality of the team to an extend that exceeds the qualities of the individuals. That’s what makes Barcelona Special. It’s how Xavi-Iniesta understanding makes the partnership offers more than any partnership between any two players in the world even if the two players’ individual qualities are better than that’s of Iniesta and Xavi.

Barcelona's ibra-gate: When leaders at the top do a childish job.15:27 Posted by Ramzi

The striker Barcelona offloaded their historical goalscorer to get was donated one year later for less than half the amount paid to get him –if my estimations are right regarding how much Barcelona paid. He was offloaded for less than third the money the Catalans paid if we want to believe the numbers thrown across the world after he joined the club.

Out of nowhere, Spanish media start showing more interest in Raiola’s wisdom. Raiolla is not known to be a man who back. Trash talking. Milan faxes a loan offer. Out of sudden, a conflict between Pep and Ibra flow on the surface. And boom! Barcelona’s striker was thrown out of the door. Less than 48 hours from the transfer period’s end-if you count business days.

Starting from the numbers, the bargain landed on 24M that will be paid starting from next year stretched along three years. It is important then to note that 24 M payable in three years, that’s not exactly the same as 24 Million you put on the table today. That’s much less. Meaning, Barcelona sold Ibrahimovic for less than 24 Million. That’s not the end of the joke, so hold your last breathe and don’t laugh yet. There is an exit fee, Bonus, super bonus, cash sandwich, call it whatever you want. It kiss the four millions estimation. All in all, Barcelona will receive less than 20 Million to offload Ibra, and they will be begging for those coins for three years. More? Well. I can pull out one more rabbet from my hat. Based on the new regulations of fair play, the teams are not allowed to have loans between each other. Will that lead to another negotiation circus a year or two from now for a compensated payment?

That’s in one hand. In the other hand, the way the transfer was engineered is purely Shame-tastic. If we want to go with normal sense, when you start negotiating, there is a possibility the deal will take place, but there is also a possibility that it collapse. You don’t burn all the bridges. The two parties –Barcelona and Milan- were negotiating on the main road each on one side with loud speakers in their hands to negotiate the details while the media of the world cruising in between. Milan made no foul there; they squeezed their counter to the corner. They made it disgraceful for the player even to consider staying in his club after being publicly labeled as: Unwanted. It was so hilarious to a level that Rosell posted on his tweeter account: “Now I am going to meet Galliani” even before Milan officially provide their formal offer. Ladies and gents, that’s the president of the club, we are talking about!

Is that a thumb or a middle finger?

Milan applied a set-in negotiating strategy. They brought all the staff they needed to make sure they give no space of time for Barca management to reconsider. All decisions were taken at the heat of the moment. That’s predictable, when Barcelona brings all their staff to the negotiation’s table as well. That’s a sign that you are desperate. That’s a sign that you have no way back. That’s a sign that you don’t want to take any time thinking about the whole situation. You made the decision and you consider negotiations as logistics. That’s a “take him please!” And a veteran football director like Galliani will easily ride your back when you bow that low.

Now everyone will start getting crazy for the fig leaf. Spanish press quoted by the press worldwide will suck the blood out of this carrion. Sandro is the man who will not show up in the daylight but will do all the dark magic after the wolves' first cry when the night spread its wings. Pep will keep being the minister of foreign affairs meeting the questions with full stops, unless if he feels he is in the corner then he plays the victim or victimize himself. Ibra will be the temper chauvinist he is, and his agent is a football agent-no worse way to address him I guess. But there is a catastrophic mess that happened. A damaging action for the club’s image. Not only on the financial level, but also on the moral level where the club showed lack of commitment toward a player they crawled to get. They were not even interested in saving his face, leading to more predicted outburst and more pathetic episodes to this drama that is yet to reach the closing. Salaries, prestige, and branding are important factors that attract employees to a company. But the most important factor is job security. Ibra’s story with Barcelona will not inspire lot of confidence for any player the club may try to sign later.

"Thank you!Thank you! holly-spirit! I am now a believer!"

When an organization gets in big troubles, it’s Hippocratic to start by blaming the gates' keeper. The receptionist. The human resources manager or the guy who waters the grass in the parking. The blame has to be on the decision maker. The one who is supposed to make sure the gates keeper does his work properly. The receptionist is always well-dressed in proper cloth and charming smile. The human resources being up to the task. The decision maker need to notice the grass is not as green as it should be and make sure to put things in place before the grass turn to ashes. That’s why the head of any organization is given more authority than the rest. Because they should know better. They should be the ones who weigh the situations from all perspectives rather than reacting on it from a marketing perspective, or accounting perspective and so on. The decision maker with more authorities means vital responsibilities. Those high level managers are highly authorized so they lead, not to be led.

Looking back to Barcelona’s case of Ibrahimovic, There is the first conclusion that says it’s Sandro Rosell who was pushing for this transfer since day one and he setup the theater for the play to rock on. If so, then case closed. But what if it was Pep’s or Ibra’s fault for the football divorce between the club and the player?

If the board of directors were aware of this problem since they inherited Laporta’s reign, then why waiting till the last moment of the transfer window? Even after Ibra’s return from holidays he had a meeting with Pep and afterward he made it clear that he is staying. He is at Barcelona to win the champion’s league and he will try to do so next season. “If Villa will help winning the title, then it’s all good”. He played in all the games of the preseason. Hours before Milan’s offer Barcelona’s PR director was saying that Ibra is not transferable, though he can’t say 100 % a player will stay even if that was Xavi or Messi…or Ibra. Hm…who is next?

One month ago, Barcelona could have generated more money from Ibra’s transfer. No doubt about this one. Based on the charity deal they just made with Milan, they may end up collecting half the amount of money Man city paid to get Balotelli. Will Man city pay over 25 Million to get Ibra? You will find people who believe City wouldn’t hesitate to pay him that as a salary. Will Ibra move to Man city? Some may doubt. I think if he –or his agent- are smart they would have picked Man city over Milan in a heartbeat. Nothing against Milan but going back to Italy –to the same city he left searching for glory- is not just a step back, but a return with his tail between his legs. Manchester City is not in the Champion’s league but isn’t it more prestigious to lead them next season to the Champion’s league than playing for a team that is already there? Some may even argue that Man city will have better chance to win the Champion’s league in the future than Milan. Stretch the imagination a bit and think about winning the English league after dominating the Netherlands’, Italian, and winning the Spanish. There was definitely a way to promote the idea for Ibra.

Still, now that we know the numbers, who said Manchester city would have been the only choice? The transfer ended up too cheap that even Xerez would have engineered an offer. Chelsea had lot of players they could have used in the offer to get the player. Even Manchester united with all their financial complications. It was even a better deal to send Ibra with cash over his head to tempt Liverpool for a swap deal that bring Torres back to the liga. Bayern would have thought about making an attempt. And the list is long. Most importantly, the club would have had enough time to sign a replacement and the replacement would have had enough time to adapt before the season starts.

But what if Pep was in a coma and only realized the Ibra-flammation few days ago. The board should have been aware that it is too late. Or at least “may be it is too late”. The first two rules to enter a negotiation are 1) to know exactly how far you are willing to compromise.2) to plan an exit if the negotiation proved unsatisfying. The board should have told the coach that they will try to resolve the situation but he needs to expect the player to stay one more season if no good bargain was possible. He takes as a coach the responsibility of late judgment, not the club. When the board set the mentioned guidelines they position themselves better on the negotiation table. The first thing needed was to tell Milan –before they travel to Barcelona- that the loan Idea is laughable. Hell even Liverpool had the balls to completely ignore an offer from Inter for Mascherano. To be clear, when I say “even Liverpool” I am pointing at their financial problems. You can’t respond “just come and we will see” no matter what the initial offer is. The initial offer will be the starting point that you can only expect –and work- to improve, not to change radically. When you keep in mind that the negotiation may go either way –and inform your coach about it- then you will feel it’s a must not to go in public till you get a solid offer that you are willing to negotiate. What happened was the opposite. The coach was the most conservative while the board leader was riding the high horse of slaughtering the Swedish vampire anyway possible.

What was the worst that may happen? Ibra stays? Regardless of his (lack of) quality, Barcelona could have received an equivalent amount of money if they sell him next summer-or even during the winter transfer market. Remember, it’s less that 20 million receivable during 3 years. Fifteen millions in hand is a better bargain next summer.

"Hooray!! I'm in the center!"

After the pathetic show of dragging Barcelona naked across the streets of financial reports, this was the next “big” Rosell-ic thing to happen in less than two months. I am not sure how saying that the club is collapsing financially will help your case while negotiating sponsorship deals, or any kind of agreements that may inject money in the club’s veins. But that’s another story. If he will show consistency that meets his performance so far, free your imagination and expect the worse.

I was an admirer of Sandro when he was in Laporta’s board. Ironically, I was closer to his point of view (or as the media presented the case back then). But since he started to do thing on his own away from Laporta’s farm things started to turn ugly. Being someone who opposed his campaign to inherit Laporta, I am under an obligation to give him the benefit of doubt and spread hope that he will be great president and that he just need time. But he needs to start giving me some good reasons to do so.

Quote of the day:

"Ibrahimovic and his agent will choose what they think is best for his future. He has to be a key player. We've talked. Last season he did very well. I didn't ask anyone to try and sell him." Pep, First interview after vacation.

Anims Tito

Aug 29 2010, 06:27 PM

After Barcelona’s Ibra-gate, will today wash the “horrificatastrophic” night?04:09 Posted by Ramzi

In the post I published after Ibra’s transfer last night, I shared my view about the whole case. Later on tweeter I said that I hope I will not say anything more about it, and I will really try to keep my word. I just want Barcelona to help the fans at least to forgive, if they can’t forget. Publishing statements like this on the official site is not helping. Seriously.

“Included in the agreement is the option for AC Milan to make the move permanent next summer for a fee of €24 million.

If the option to buy Ibrahimovic is taken up by the Serie A club then that could see FC Barcelona save approximately €60 million.”

Is the Permanente move “an option” or a MUST? Will Milan have a choice to decide if they buy him or not, or they HAVE to buy him? Especially when the following statement say “If the option to buy Ibrahimovic is taken up by the Serie A club” hm…Ha?

Then the argument that "That's a great deal! we save 60 m" is disrespectful for the fans as it is built on the assumption that "they are naive, so lets fool them" Why not selling Messi then so "We save 200 M" based on the same logic?

But if you think there is no fun for some humor then you have to read the last paragraph of the statement:“The deal was able to be done thanks to the collaboration of the player and the willingness of his agent to conclude the negotiations.” Alright…I got it…not…

La Liga adventure for Barcelona starts today. There are high expectations as usual. This season, the Squad will lean on better resources than last season and if the players enjoy enough luck away from injuries the team can go far competing to regain the titles lost last season and keep the titles won.

Racing SantanderThe quest to the title starts today against Racing Santander at El Sardinero in Cantabria. One of the decent counter attacking teams in the Liga. They lost Sergio Canales, José Moratón, Toni Moral and Luis García. But they signed Kennedy Bakircoglü, Adrían González, Cisma. Adrian, and Tziolis, Last season, Racing Santander struggled to avoided relegation. This season will likely be the same, though they could hope to finish in the middle of the table.

Worth noting that Henrique is Barcelona’s Brazilian defender who extended his loan. It will be another opportunity to watch the performance of this exiled player. With two holding midfielders in Colsa and Diop the team will try to close spaces while Tchité and co do the best they can to put pressure on Barcelona’s defense and midfielders to disturb the buildup. Munitis –if started- is the same old fox who makes the most offense impact for his team.

Barcelona:

The chaos the club had in the past few days was not the perfect way to approach a season. But one can expect that the players were shielded from any passive vibes created by Ibra-gate. They will approach the game with lots to prove and they will make sure to demonstrate the will to win the title again.

The selection is not something we can accurately predict. Against a team like Racing, it’s good to avoid bad surprises. With Keita performing on the highest level recently I can see him in the midfield beside Xavi and in front of Busquets. A front line of Iniesta, Villa, and Messi is not a bad call with Pedro as a game changer. It will also help to re-tune Keita’s role for more offense work than he did in the last segment of last season. That will be crucial now without Ibra, where the need of Keita’s runs into the box is a vital need. It’s also a more attainable option after signing Mascherano. Keita in front of Mascherano will not need to play as deep as he plays when Busquets is the holding midfielder because Mascherano will not move forward as far as Busquets does.

The strangest name in the selection is Adriano instead of Abidal. The French defender is still no doubt the first option at left back. But for this game, I think Adriano can help more offense wise. Yet, Pep may start the game more conservative by using Abidal, and then using Adriano later on if needed.

FC Barcelona played Real Sociedad this week in the liga, and it was just another amazing show of football and magic. The happiest person on earth was no doubt Barca's president Sandro Rosell, as its this team and those players are the reason why the majority of members are too lazy (and excited) to ask serious questions or voice complains. Ironically, we are talking about a squad structured by the same people the current president revolted to sack, when he was the Vice of the previous President Juan Laporta.

Still, it is not easy to hide an elephant having a "Musth" inside the room. Sponsorship agreement with Qatar foundation is not a walk in the park. This is a milestone in the club's history where there will be a BA (before agreement) and AA (after agreement) calender to record the the club's records.

Defending Rosell, Guardiola, and Qatar

Lets start by defending Sandro Rosell. The rants that doubt his loyalty to the club are nonsense. He is not an evil undercover madridista whose mission is damaging Barcelona, as some angry Barcelona fans stated in the past few days. Sandro Rosell is as loyal to Barcelona as anyone can be, and more. He -and his board- are doing what they believe it is the best for the club. Thats where we may disagree with him (them). Yet, there are no doubts about the intentions.

In the other hand, this agreement has nothing to do with Pep Guardiola. He supported Qatar bid for the world cup for many reasons (Money is one of the reasons, as a professional figure). But that has nothing to do with Barcelona's agreement with Qatar foundation. Pep was an automatic choice for Qatar to promote them in the world cup bid even before the new board inherited Barcelona's management. In fact, Sandro Rosell has more contacts and cross roads with Qatar than Pep, so neither he needs Pep nor the Qatari needs the coach to cook or suggest this sponsorship agreement.

I will not re-defend Qatar and the Qatari toward those who consider it a shame to sign an agreement with such a Bla bla bla country, as I already stated my opinion about this in a previous post. It won't make any difference for me if this deal was with a foundation in Qatar or the Vatican. Thats not the point. At all.

Dealing with the deal

First thing first, lets make one thing clear: This is a commercial deal. A Business, only a business and nothing but a business. Lets put the "Charity" smoke bombs aside so we don't feel guilty whipping the hell out of the agreement. Selling a car to red cross will not make you Mother Tereza. Thats S.E.L.L.I.N.G, and you count your money before you hand the car. In fact, it was better to make a deal with a commercial company than taking hundreds of millions supposed to be invested in good cases. Unless if by Charity we mean that Qatar foundation paid 170 M as a charity to Barcelona, there is no other way to make the statement more valid.

If we agree that this is just "business is business baby!" , we have to see it from a business perspective. I am aware of all the emotional factors involved. All the pride. And there were lot of eloquent posts on different blogs who wrote about this side better than I can ever do. But here is a board of directors telling you "Romance feed no hunger, softy! Grow up!" . So...Was this business deal an Edsel or an IPod?

The first factor to consider is the need. The validity of any deal depends on the alternatives available and the urgency driving one party to make a deal with the other. Was it an unavoidable need for Barcelona to seal the deal?

It is impossible to know the real figures concerning Barcelona's financial situation. Some may like to believe the previous board budget, others consider this board's budget the reliable one and the majority are probably on the fence and can barely take any budget seriously (count me in). Accounting is not the science of stating the facts but the method of perfecting the books to meet specific objectives and already decided numbers. Deloitte or no-Deloitte, it is the client who dictate the results of any budget and the accounting auditing role is to skew the accounting process to meet the client's numbers. Dont tell my taxes vampire I said that.

It is even more confusing to get anything out of the current board's statements. The previous board of directors lied. No doubt about that regardless how far they went in that direction. But they were good lairs and were able to create a good story. One story. The current board failed to meet the basic requirement of creating a story, and that is being consistent. One day Barcelona sells Chegrinskiy because there is a need to pay salaries - the board states. The other day we discover that Barcelona's transfer budget is 50 M plus the transfer returns of Yaya and Chegrnskiy -The board states. Then afterward the board end up sorting out the transfer budget to 50 M. Just that. Its a kind of "Dissociative identity disorder" management with lot of acrobatic accounting and Executive functioning.

Then a Sponsor deal with Qatar foundation take place. To start with numbers, Barcelona shirt sponsorship is: 5 years at €30m, commercial rights fee €15m, performance bonuses €5m. But there is one additional condition that went unnoticed in the chaos of the agreement. Barcelona will play a friendly every year in Qatar or anywhere in Europe (Qatar foundation decides). Thats also a significant part of the deal and will have an impact on the numbers, and the nature of the agreement.

During preseason, clubs have limited number of opportunities to play friendlies. Friendly matches earn Barcelona couple of millions . Friendly matches are also important to promote clubs, get them closer to their fans across the globe and increase merchandise return. In brief: Friendly=money. For the following five years, one of Barcelona friendlies will be handed to Qatar foundation. In brief: Thats a loss of money.

In the other hand, friendlies are important to expand clubs' awareness and commertial presence in promising markets from the business perspective. Looking forward to the following five years with the global economic forecasting map on the table, anyone really think Europe will be the best market for Barcelona to focus on in the following years? So while Real Madrid, Inter, and Manchester United for example are working on expanding their commercial presence between USA, Japan, China, and Saudi Arabia in the following five years, Barcelona will spend five years bouncing between Europe and Qatar. How far will friendlies in Europe increase merchandise selling (compared to existing growth rate) for the following five years? What about other markets including USA or East Asia to name some destinations? Of course Barcelona can go to USA beside playing friendlies in Qatar during preseason. I am sure Pep quardiola will be so exited to spend the preseason jumping from one plane to another. Will a friendly in a bad timing cancel a preseason tour? Isn't that also another financial loss?

Talking about Pep Guardiola, if Qatar Foundation will decide where to send Barcelona for the friendlies, isn't it safe to say they at least have the upper hand in deciding the friendly date? How does it sound that Pep will have to customize his preparations for the following seasons based on Qatar foundation agenda? Is it even appropriate that in the following five years Qatar foundation will send Barcelona to play in the country (club) that pay the highest price?

How far all this complexity affect the club preparations and moral in the following seasons? Between the money lost from playing a friendly for free, and the impact of this five seasons plan on merchandise and commercial strategies, It is too conservative to estimate the loss in the range of two millions per year. Thats why instead of 30 M per year from the sponsorship agreement, Barcelona will barely get 28 Million (while the other two are considered as compensation for the friendlies).

Now lets not forget that this is the first main Sponsorship deal in 111 years of Barcelona's history. That's a leverage to tempt the best sponsorship deal ever. Is it true that 28 M is a huge opportunity that is too good to waste? I am aware there are variables in the agreement, but compare it to Liverpool's new sponsorship deal where they will earn 24 Millions annually for the following four years. I do respect Liverpool and once they had three times the commercial value of Barcelona. Now? Thats not the case. I can safely say that if Liverpool can sign an agreement for 24 Millions, then Barcelona must not even consider an agreement that goes under 35 Millions per year plus variables, and without friendlies. And I am not even considering such an offer as too tempting to reject.

But then again, what if Barcelona really RRRReally need the cash Qatar foundation offered? What if there were no other options? Thats reasonable. Yet, Rosell and Co management antiques cause you a mental breakdown if you try to track. I was probably alone demanding that Barcelona must sign Mascherano. Though, not for any cost. In a perfect world, Mascherano is a great signing for Barcelona. In a crisis situation, his transfer was no doubt avoidable. If Xavi can play a zillion match per season though having an injured foot, Busquets -a younger player- can do so as well. If a back up needed, keep Marquez. Sign Senna. Or even use Pique as a holding midfielder when Busquets is not available. None of them will fail to serve the matches Mascherano played so far.

Then Barcelona signed Maxwell's identical. Again, in a perfect world, Adriano is a good utility player. But for a team in crisis he is simply a waste of unavailable money. Puyol can play as a right back if needed. Maxwell can. Pique can, and a bunch of youth are also waiting their turn. If this is a club owned by the fans, Rosell should have asked the members if they prefer a sponsorship agreement plus the transfers of Mascherano and Adriano or no sponsorship and no players. I am sure you will not find such a poll on Sports website anytime soon.

Mascherano and Adriano transfers will cost the club between 70 and 80 Millions in the following five years. We are still not talking about Afellay's transfer, considering that it is a good bargain. And dont let me start predicting how much Cesc would have cost the club in the following five years if Arsenal accepted selling him-even for the 40 Millions Barcelona offered- something in the orbit of 75 millions?

If the club needed this sponsorship deal after the mentioned signings, then we can conclude that -avoiding the unnecessary transfers- the club lack less than a hundred million for the following five years to recover. That's if we assume the sponsorship deal worth 170 M, which is not accurate, first because of the friendlies compensation and secondly because not all the variable amounts will be certainly achieved. One hundred millions in five years mean 20 millions per year. Now it is time to have a look at the club's accounting books for 2009/2010.

Based on the new board 's Auditing, the club generated a revenue of 408.9 millions last year. Mind you, we are talking about the revenue generated by the worst board in the club's history as the current board repeatedly remind us. If the current -better- board succeed to increase the revenue 5 % next year, thats 20.5 Millions, and increasing. But lets not get too ambitious as it is probably hard to increase revenues by 5 % next year. If Barcelona increase their revenues 2% annually, they will generate 126 millions extra cash in the following 5 years.

Regardless of the current board plans for the future, and regardless of the complexities of business and accounting, this percentage (2%) is just an indication that this sponsorship agreement is not a radical u-turn in any way as it is too small compared to the business operation value in the club that will exceed (back and forth) billions of cash in the following five years.

In the current board -Audited- accounting, where they tried to put all the mess possible on the previous board, the books recorded a loss of 80 Millions (Previous board budget for the same year recorded a profit of 9 millions). It is important to look at the Expenses section and draw a circle around players amortization (71 M). That amortization includes 8 millions related to Henry's transfer from Arsenal to Barcelona. Regardless how valid it is to add this to the budget (after Henry's move to USA), what is certain is that this amount of money will not exist in the current year. It also includes 13 Million amortization related to Ibra's transfer, something the current board could have reduced from the current year budget if they sold Ibra directly to Milan instead of one year loan (even if they received the first payment next year as the current agreement dictates). Add an estimated 5 millions amortization for Chegrnskiy. It also includes amortizations related to the signings of Caceres, Henrique, and Keirrison.

This means that with some more quality management (especially Ibra's transfer conditions), next budget will have 26 M less amortizations to record as expenses (Henry,Ibra,and Chegrnskiy). Then the selling of Caceres, Henrique, and Keirrison will clear their amortization expenses and add to the revenue (transfer return) neutralizing the amortization account completely. That alone will decrease the books deficit from 80 Millions to 9 millions in no time, even if the revenues didnt increase a bit. Sell Milito and you break even. Simple as that. We must not forget the club will start receiving payments from Ibra's transfer next year. So instead of him adding expenses through amortization and salary, he will add to revenue.

Take note, I am still taking in consediration that Mascherano's and Adriano's transfers were avoidable (Keeping Marquez or signing Senna). It is true that some contract renewals will increase some players salaries, but we must not forget that the club already knocked Henry, Ibra, Chegrnskiy and Marquez (if he leave) out of the payroll. All in all a decline in salaries expenses. That means: Even if we go by the current board's accounting numbers, and even if the club failed to increase revenues (The club increased the revenues almost every year since 2003), still the 80 millions loss we saw in the current books will not exist in the following fiscal year anyway. That lead us to believe what the previous board said: Next year Barcelona will generate profit. How many league champions and Champions league contenders in Europe can match such a balanced financial situation? Again we need to be aware that the current board auditing is not a certainty, as they definitely have an interest in showing the financial situation worse than it actually is. All that bring me to the debt issue...

Quoting Swiss Rambler:

"We’ve not been given the full details yet, but the adjusted figure released by the club was gross debt of €552 million (net debt €442 million). However, we do know that this represents total liabilities and is thus misleadingly high, as it includes trade creditors, accruals and even provisions. In fact, Rosell and his cohorts should be ashamed of this needless scaremongering, which is not consistent with standard accounting practice – or, indeed, UEFA’s definition, which explicitly states, “net debt does not include trade or other payables.”

As an example of how absurd the total liabilities definition is, just look at how high other clubs’ gross debt would be using this measure: Real Madrid €683 million, Liverpool €578 million and Manchester United €1.1 billion. Even Arsenal, which is regarded as the template for financial sustainability, would have “debt” of €767 million (though it’s come down a lot since the last annual accounts). This places Barcelona’s €552 million firmly into context. To use an old adage, you have to compare apples with apples."

Still, I will consider the 442 Millions as a debt the club need to pay (which is again not the case). It is a cartoon monster that is easy to counter even through playing by numbers Rosell-way. Sandro Rosell announced many times that the club will be able to reserve an average of 50 Million transfer budget annually. Having a look at Barcelona's squad where the most important players can serve (Key players or squad players) 3 to 5 more years like Abidal, Xavi, Villa, Keita and even Puyol (next year could be his last as a starter though), notice I kept Mascherano and Adriano out, added to players who will be in the club for longer period like Valdes, Pique, Busquets, Iniesta, Messi, Pedro, and Bojan supported by extremely promising talents like Fontas, Bartra, Oriol, Dos Santos, Thiago; anyone in his right mind believe that this club need to spend 250 M on transfers in the following five years?

If the club increase the revenues 2% as mentioned above, thats a 126 Millions in 5 years. More than enough to strengthen the squad. The club already took a loan for 155 M where 70 % of it went to pay urgent commitments (as the board mentioned), which means rescheduling commitments in a controllable manner. So it is safe to say that 100 Million of the 442 M rumored debt is already on the right track. Put the 250 Millions already reserved for transfers above it and that's 350 Millions sorted out (250 M paid completely in 5 years).

What about encouraging fans to become members rather than kicking them away, which may generate couple of millions more to the cash account? What about reviewing the salaries expenses from head to toe, especially on the administrative level? There are so many options to increase revenue and decrease expenses. Now I am aware that this is simplifying the issue, but it sound relevant for me to say: The club is not in an irreversible situation that require sponsorship agreement to jump for the rescue. It is safe to say the club now is in a better position than it was in 2003.

What this sponsorship deal did is that it ruined the last defense the club can use if things -really- went bad. Before the agreement, the club could always argue creditors that "we don't even have sponsorship agreement...we don't have sponsors for the stadium...we don't...we don't...and still we are the most competitive club and generate a revenue close to half billion" That hidden sponsorship card would have always had more value than it actually worth. The moment Barcelona signed the sponsorship deal this card was revealed and now it has a price tag. It is no more "priceless".

One of the most important things in business is to have a clear mission, vision and branding strategy and to stick to it as far as possible. There is no branding image that can win all the time. The clubs having the most luxurious sponsorship deals are the most debited ones. So it is not true that sponsorship is the make or break for any club's finance. Barcelona's image almost reached maturity in the past few years and there was a chance to stamp it on steel in the coming years. "More than a club" and for the first time in the club's history earned a market value and generated commercial benefits. It is amusing to keep repeating the 408.9 Millions revenue presented in the last Auditing the current board did. If you cant manage a club that generates this amount of money, you cant manage it even if you double the figures.

Beside, who said that this UNICEF-BARCA partnership reached its peak commercially? All what the club did was stamping the logo on the shirt and selling it. The UNICEF-BARCA partnership had massive potentials that the previous board didn't recognize and the current board killed. You can at least double Merchandise return through developing this partnership. You can sell almost anything with a UNICEF-BARCA Logo stamped on it from plates to printers. Even with a 50/50 profit share between the two parties Barcelona can still enjoy an increase in commercial return.

Agreements could have been made with third party to create pubs brand that generate franchising agreements across the globe. Sportswear. Restaurants. You name it. All based on the same partnership that offer UNICEF a share of the return. Anyone will spend money on items that match the market quality, knowing that a share of that money will go to support good cases, whether Barcelona fan or someone who has know clue about football all together. Thats a way to boost commercial return and club image through being faithful to the club mission and history. And we are still talking pure business.

I just cant stop explaining how unnecessary this agreement is. How damaging. But I am committing myself to shorten my posts a bit (though it is too late for this one already). Finally, whenever Rosell doesn't show up to announce something and send his directors instead, you know there is a problem. Ibra's transfer, Membership regulations and now sponsorship deal. Then they say "we can discuss it later in the Assembly", and it is astonishing how the members hatred toward Laporta make them accept anything thrown their way. Discuss what? "If you -dear members-don't like the agreement we can still pay some millions penalty for breaching the sponsorship contract" says Rosell.